Fossil Fighters: Hero League (Revived!)
by Dexter Raladin
Summary: (The rewrite of the original Fossil Fighters: Hero League) "Dina" Sentōki, and his little brother, "Todd" Sentōki, got an invitation to the Caliosteo Cup, from Joe Wildwest himself! The Caliosteo Islands are home to tons of vivosaurs! Adventure on hand, Dina and Todd are off, meanwhile new friends and foes are in store! (T for Violence and Low-Key Suggestive Themes)
1. Dominance: Ribular Island

_Fossil Fighters are dinosaur-training experts. They train revived dinosaurs, called vivosaurs, to battle against each other in small scuttles called Fossil Battles. This entertains the vivosaurs, the fighters, and an audience, and vivosaurs can get badly injured during these battles._

_Vivosaurs are also used as pets, used for transportation, and work. Almost everyone owns at least one vivosaur of their own._

* * *

_**Zongazonga is an ancient sorcerer who ruled the Caliosteo Islands before the present time. He has the ability to take control of people's bodies by inserting his darkened soul and skull into others and knocking their soul and skull out. When a body got old he chose a new one. The people Zongazonga chose would be the Majestic Vessel. To be chosen as the Majestic Vessel was worse than death. To choose a Majestic Vessel, he hosted a tournament and gave his people Vivosaurs. They would use these Vivosaurs to battle one another. The champion would be chosen when she/he was the only one left to fight. The people finally got sick of his ruling and immortality and created the Caliosteo Pipsqueak which knocked Zongazonga's skull out of the Majestic Vessel's body. After the skull was knocked out, Zongazonga couldn't possess another body for a short time. The people used this time to lock him up in The Stone Pyramid in a chest.**_

* * *

The lot of people kept scrambling around the crowded halls, rushing into small seating places. The air was warm and congested with many smells, some of fresh-cooked food, from the restaurants lining the walls. The early morning sun barely made it through the windows. Two small boys squeezed themselves through the bustling crowd, clutching their luggage tightly, and the older boy kept shifting his eyes from what was in front of him, to a letter in his hand.

The older boy was quite short for his age, but much taller than the young boy tailing him. His golden blonde hair flowing behind him, one side in a ponytail, one side just a flick of his fair hair. His eyes were the color of fudge, but his eyes had a stiff and tough feeling, instead of a sweet, gentle feeling. He had pale skin, and thick, strong eyebrows. For seeming to be masculine, he had quite a feminine appearance, but his face was charming, nonetheless.

The younger boy had a much different look. His hair was in, messy, fluffed spikes, and his caramel hair was soft to the touch. His tan skin gave him a golden glow that embraced his upbeat, sprightly nature. He was quite short for his age, only around the size of an elementary student, which he was. His sparkling, sea-blue eyes and thin eyebrows gave him a gentle appearance.

The younger boy latched onto his big brother with his childishly pudgy arm, and they slipped into a small waiting room. The older boy checked his paper, and a sign on the wall. A sigh of relief came from the older boy, as his blue goggles shined in the light. "Whew.. I hate being in a huge crowd of people.. So pushy.. annoying.. And most of all, loud."

"Uh oh! Dina! Look at the time! We only have thirty minutes to board the helicopter! We should board, quickly!" The younger boy eagerly squeaked.

Dina shook his head in distaste as he pulled out a case. "Be a little patient, would ya, Todd? We just got here! Why not reward ourselves with a break?"

Inside this case was a glimmering medal, on it, a design of a blue tyrannosaurid with golden-yellow feathers and a black underbelly. Dina grabbed it with care, and began to polish it with a goggles-cleaning tissue. Todd stuffed his hand in his pocket, searched around with his senses, then pulled out a medal like the other one. The design on it was of a green stegosaurus.

A deep voice came from the blue dinosaur medal, but it seemed as if only Dina and Todd could hear it. 'Good afternoon!' The voice let out a yawn before continuing, 'Glad to see that we're not in the hustle and bustle anymore.'

'What a relief, right, master?' Agreed a voice coming from the stegosaurus medal. The voice was higher pitched, and much kinder then the first's, the booming voice.

"Stego! I don't wanna tell you again!" Todd scolded his medal with a smile on his face, "I'm not your master! I'm your best friend!"

Dina lounged against the chair, arms folded behind his head. The booming voice spoke again, 'Dina, you should get ready to board. You only have ten minutes, now.'

"Oh, thanks, Aeros!" Dina opened one of his chest pockets, and slipped Aeros's medal in. Todd dashed on, Dina chasing him and asking him to slow down.

Todd leaped into a seat in the helicopter cabin with tons of energy and excitement fueling him. Dina panted as he threw the luggage into the storage locker and stumbled over to the seat next to Todd's. "Todd, I asked ya to slow down.."

"I-I'm sorry.." Todd apologized dolefully, "I'm so excited.. I'm not really paying attention.. I can't wait at all! I'm just filled to the brim with excitement!"

Dina smirked playfully as he yawned silently. "I am too.. But I'm so tired.."

"Okie dokie!" Todd cutely replied as he offered his shoulder for Dina's head. Dina happily accepted, and Todd continued on. "Do they have food on here? I'm hunnggrry!"

He surveyed the cabin like an eagle searching for prey. To Todd's dismay, there wasn't anything to eat. He crossed his arms and put on a pouty expression as his stomach growled desperately. The clouds in the window caught his attention soon after, and he gazed out, smiling like a child.

A few hours passed, and the sun was still in it's morning state, but much more bright than before. Dina stretched and rubbed his eyes, accidentally punching Todd in the process, who let out a small "Owchie!".

"Woopsie..! Sorry about that, Toddie!" Dina laughed uncertainly.

Todd rubbed his red cheek, but smiled in forgiveness, before something smashed the helicopter from the bottom. Todd froze in shock and fear, and Dina needed a moment to collect himself from the sudden impact.

They both squished their cheeky faces against the window. The helicopter had landed, and beside it was a fountain, palm trees, and gardens. They rushed out with a rush of adrenaline, and were greeted with the fragrance of blooming flowers and sea salt. Satisfaction flooded through them as a gentle breeze made their jumpsuits flow back and forth. A woman strolled over to them, and they turned to face her. Her hair and eyes were dusty brown, and she wore a blue and yellow jacket. The breeze pushed her green scarf back and forth. She fixed her visor, and politely asked, "Do you two happen to be Dina Sentōki and Todd Sentōki?"

"Yeah. That's us." Dina was puzzled, "Why do ya ask?"

"I'm Stella, the leader Staff for Ribular Island of the Caliosteo Archipelago! Welcome to Ribular Town. Joe Wildwest requested that you guys get the elite packs for equipment.. So here's your new equipment!"

She handed them two beautifully wrapped boxes with ornate designs. The tags on them read:

_To my Small Fries, I hope you love your new Equipment, Pards!"_

_~ Joe Wildwest_

Todd's eyes sparkled, and Dina put on a cute and modest smile. Inside the boxes were cell-phone like objects, called Paleopagers, a fossil cleaning hammer, a fossil cleaning drill, a sonar, and a pickaxe. Dina's pickaxe was gold, with red and blue bevels. Todd's was green with a dinosaur pattern.

"This is some coolio stuff!" Dina expressed cheerfully.

Todd nodded his head in cheerful agreement, but both of the boy's attention was snatched by a giant television floating towards the town. It was propelled by newly-painted rotors. Three megaphone structures lined the bottom of it. A mob of excited fighters circled in front of it, as the screen flashed on. On the screen, was Joe Wildwest.

Dressed in a cowboy suit from head to toe, Joe Wildwest was a legendary fighter and former cowboy. His mahogany hair flowed like the wind under his cowboy hat, and his blue eyes looked like a reflection of a cloudless, blue sky.

Dina was the only person to notice the oddity in Joe's eyes, and he noticed it swiftly. The lavender, purple color caused uneasiness in Dina, who shivered in discomfort. While Todd stood gaping in cheerful surprise, Dina stood in a disgust that descended down through his body, making him twitch all over.

Joe Wildwest finally began his speech. "I'd love to welcome all of you pards to the Caliosteo Islands!" He paused for the applause. "Right now, you're standing on Ribular Island, the greenest island in the chain. Ribular Town is known for its light breezes and vivid gardens. But, that's not all, folks! There's two more islands that you can explore too! Cranial is the volcanic and tepid island, and its sure to get even more intense when you fighters arrive. And of course, there's Ilium, which is the island of unending winters and very refreshing hot springs!"

Joe smirked with deviousness and confidence. "But you're not here to sightsee, I know. Of course, you're here to battle to the level of Champion! Now, I have a great surprise for all 'yas, the prize. The prize of the cup is the whole Caliosteo Park!" The horde of people gasped and cheered with tons of energy. "So, go out there, start digging, and battle your way to stardom! Fight on, and fight hard, pards!"

As bright, beautiful fireworks were sent rocketing to the sky, Dina had chills being sent down his spine. His fingers twitched and teeth chattered from the lack of heat, even though the climate around him was warm and moist.

"Hey! Dina-na!" Todd waved his hands urgently, and snapped Dina out of his pensive thoughts. "You okay, big brother? Why did take a trip to La-La-Land?"

"Oh, no. I was looking at Joe's purple eyes. That's all."

Todd tilted his head in puzzlement. "But, Joe's eyes are blue! I think you ate too many candy bars.. You've gotta be going crazy..!"

Dina first rolled his eyes at Todd's misunderstanding of the comment, then started to curl the flicked side of his hair.

"I-I couldn't be going crazy.. I saw it.. Joe's eyes were definitely purple." Dina's mind echoed continually.

As the crowd started to recede, Todd and Dina perused around the town to see if there was anything to do. A sign blocked a path, that read:

Fossil Cannon! The Gates Will Be Blasted Soon!

Todd tugged on Dina's sleeve, catching his attention, and pointed to an open pathway that was inundated with the mass of people. A sign stood beside it that read the words "Treasure Lake". Todd latched onto Dina's arm, and Dina skillfully jostled through the swarm. On the other side laid a hill lined with fences, leading down to a giant, pure, blue lake. In the middle of this lake, a giant tyrannosaurid skull protruded out of it's cold, flowing bed of water.

Dina admired the scenery with satisfaction, until Todd poked his nose, snapping him out of his dreamy state. "Lookie, Dina! All of the people are surrounding something! I wonder what's going on.."

"Well, we aren't gonna find out if we just stand here, let's go see!"

The two approached the circle, and leaped and stuffed their heads into the circle to see if they could take a peek. After these attempts failed, they climbed over the short fences on the edge of the hill, and skillfully edged their way over the ledge to solve their mystery.

From here, they spotted a boy their age, clad in red and white. He was standing beside a news anchor and a cameraman. His snow-white hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his pearly white skin rivaled his hair in lightness. His amber eyes were narrow and beaming, keeping a vigil on the crowd, unblinking. The boy leaned towards the plump side. His sweetly childish, round face, and child-like build competed with his mature and cold eyes. His thin lips added to his princely looks, and his handsome face could charm almost anyone.

The crowd looked upon him with undying respect, and he lifted his chin to show his superiority and confidence. The news anchor began to report with enthusiasm. "Good morning, folks of all places! We're here at the Caliosteo Islands, reporting from Ribular! And boy, do we have quite the surprise company! We were able to catch the Prince of FossilDig Inc. That's right, one of the two dream boys himself, the child prodigy, Rupert Kaseki!"

The pack's applauds and cheers roared like thunder. Dina cowered in pain from the noise, and Todd placed his hands over his ears in dismay. Rupert fixed his collar and crossed his arms with irritation. When the applaud died down, the news anchor continued, "Rupert, how do you feel the difficulty of the competitors in this competition will be?"

"A breeze, no less." Rupert yawned with boredom. His suave accent gave off an enchanting appeal, and the adolescents of the circle sighed with loving delight.

"Wow! What a confident young man! Will you be doing anything while you're here at the park?"

"No," Rupert briefly replied before he gave his explanation, "What need is there? I believe I'm already a flawless Fossil Fighter."

His rapid fans squealed, feeling wooed by his cocky attitude. The news anchor waited patiently for the fans to calm down, before she warned, "Don't think that him being at the cup is an opportunity to chase or harass Rupert. Please do not bother him, or try to pluck out locks of his hair. The consequence of annoying Rupert is disqualification from the cup. These orders and this repercussion came from the FossilDig CEO. I wouldn't get on his bad side, or you might not get that shiny new excavator robot, the D166-R!"

The fans groaned with distaste as Rupert glared at them sharply. The mob started to break, and Rupert shuffled his feet as he murmured, "Pathetic."

Todd tapped Dina's shoulder as he complained, "Now that he's in the cup, I dunno if we'll win, Dina-na!"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll win. Say, Rupert seems available for a fossil battle.. wanna see if we can catch him?" Dina questioned with a daring air.

"B-But Dina-na, we could get disqualified!"

Dina smirked as he continued, "Since Joe invited us, I think we're of higher authority. I'm pretty sure we can challenge any fighter without getting kicked."

"Okie dokie, Dina-na!" Todd cheered as he bounced onto Dina's back to get a piggyback ride. Dina dashed swiftly down the mountain, and skidded in front of the rich boy.

"Hey, hey, hey! You're Rupert, right?" Dina smirked as he questioned Rupert, who stared in slight surprise. "Would you mind terribly if we have a Fossil Battle?"

Rupert sighed with distaste, "Oh, dear. A third-rate Fossil Fighter.."

"T-Third-Rate!?" Dina and Todd inquired with a tone of fury, as Dina withdrew.

"Why, you two don't look much more than meager children. I don't understand why you would try to bother me with your skimpy, infantile vivosaurs. However, since you rampant juveniles will most likely pester me like flies on a corpse if I do not, I accept your challenge."

Dina was steaming as he pushed his nose against Rupert's, their eyes on the same level. Their heads were lined up perfectly, displaying their height similarity. However, Dina's thin figure contrasted with Rupert's plump girth. Todd peered angrily over Dina's shoulder as Dina pegged his Aeros medal out of his pocket. Todd lent Stego over to Dina, and Dina released Stego as well.

Rupert began to smile deviously. "Those are your 'oh-so-special' vivosaurs? They look so common-bred! This will be quite easy."

He unleashed a grey tyrannosaurid with black horns and red eyes; and a brown tyrannosaurid with gold horns, white and red fur, and white eyes with tiny, black pupils. Dina pulled his paleopager out, and him and Todd gazed at the information popping up on the screen.

"H-Huh!? Rank 15 vivosaurs, are you kidding me!? He'll pulverize Aeros and Stego in a millisecond! They're only Rank 5s!" Todd squealed as he clung tighter to Dina's broad shoulders.

Aeros growled and smashed it's head against the grey dinosaur, who snapped back rapidly. Dina had to ponder for a minute.

"It says that grey dinosaur, Mapo, is a water-element vivosaur.. Which means my air-element team of Aeros and Stego can defeat him quick.. but the brown one, Raja is an earth-element.. That means he has an advantage.. I guess I'll have to trust Aeros to not be defeated.. I'll attack Mapo first. Stego, use Whirling Dash!"

Stego heard Dina's thought command, and curled up into a ball as he spun, and rammed into Mapo swiftly. Mapo recoiled as he stumbled from weakness that the impact caused. Aeros sent a blast of strong winds, as it pummeled the two opposing dinosaurs. Mapo flinched, before returning to his medal form, and being caught by a shocked Rupert. Raja snorted with a desire for vengeance.

"What is this madness!?" Rupert started to shake in a violent fear. "How did those weak reptiles defeat my Mapo!?"

Aeros hurled himself at Raja with snapping jaws, and smashed Raja with his tail. Stego launched his spines at Raja with tons of force, before being defeated by Raja biting him hard. Raja pounded the ground as sharp, rock pillars thrust from the ground and into Aero's chest. Aeros hunkered down, shivered, and whimpered in extreme pain as Dina scrambled to his side.

Todd screamed, "Hey! That's not fair, that attack was too violent, Rupert!"

"Oh, please. It's just a Fossil Battle, who ever stated rules? You children must grow up, I mean it's just the simple, unforgiving game of war." Rupert lectured in his plummy voice and in an ongoing tirade.

'The pain..' Aeros choked, before he sent wind blasts at Raja, knocking it back into it's medal.

Dina returned Aeros as he marched up to Rupert, giving him a judgmental glare. "You.. Almost killed my Aeros."

"Yes, and how is this an issue?"

"Aeros is one of my best friends. That's why. You almost killed one of my best friends." Dina snarled.

Rupert began to giggle under his breath, before it turned into a hysterical laughter. Dina receded a bit, before Rupert spurted out, "Friend!? Friend!? You must be pulling my leg! Vivosaurs are just like virtual pets, they don't have feelings at all. They only exist for your beneficial needs. You slack-jawed-yokels are going to stay third-rate if you play this game with mercy. I play to win. You should too."

Dina silently and fiercely stood in a vigil, and Rupert strolled into the giant dinosaur skull, still giggling. Todd squeaked, "How rude and nasty can someone be!?"

"I know, Todd.. I know.." Dina groaned, before he asked, "Aeros, are you alright?"

'Yes.. I'm fine now..'

Todd slid off of Dina's back and grabbed his hand. "It'll be okay, big brother! We'll teach him a lesson when we get better, right?"

"Of course." Dina smiled as he and Todd headed back to Ribular Town for lunch.

Rupert shot his head back, to make sure Dina and Todd had left, before his Mapo scolded him, 'Master, was that really necessary? You're getting more rude, violent, and heartless every day.. I worry about you being like this.. This isn't you.'

"I know I shouldn't be act like so, Mapo.. But.." Rupert's eyes watered as his eyes and tone softened.

'No buts. You can be a good fighter without being a good monster.'

Rupert slumped against the wall inside of the skull as he murmured, "I-I'll apologize to them if I see them again.. I guess.."

Mapo cheered, 'There you go! And maybe you'll make some friends if you do!'

"Ah, that sounds delighful." Rupert's lips bent into a faint grin. "But we'll have to keep it a secret, or else.. He'll get involved.."

Dina and Todd had already finished lunch, and scouted around the biggest building for something to do.

"Aww.. Now that we checked into our room here in the Ribular Fighter Station and had lunch.. There's nothing to dooo!" Todd whined.

Dina halted their exploration when he noticed an elevator, with a plaque next to it that read: "Practice Stadiums"

"Hey, Todd! Why not fossil battle down here?" Dina tugged Todd's arm.

"Ooh! Sounds awesome!" Todd clapped with an upbeat disposition.

They both rushed into the elevator, and were sent flying down at a quick agility. Dina smiled in excitement, but Todd shrieked in terror as he grasped onto Dina's arm.

It was eight o' clock, at Dina and Todd's room. Todd collapsed onto their bed, panting, eyes half-shut, wearing a fuzzy, bunny onesie. "I'm so exhausted.."

Dina stroked Todd's hair to soothe him. "I know, it's been a pretty exciting day.. Some cool dreams will be refreshing, though."

Todd and Dina crawled under the covers, and let their minds wander off into the realm of dreams.

The sky was still dark when Todd tricked his way out of Dina's grasp, attempting to not disturb him. He climbed out of the bed, grabbed a slice of toast and smeared it with jelly before stuffing it into his mouth, and softly dashed out of the room.

He pulled his pickaxe out as he reached Treasure Lake. The town and dig-site were murky and dead, like cemeteries, most people sleeping soundly in their beds. Todd hunted around for fossils in the lake before hearing a disembodied voice coming from the top of the giant skull. It sounded like an immature adolescent boy's voice, unlike Dina's deep, young-adult level pitch. Todd sauntered over, yawning, and slowly lifted his head. Gazing at him were a pair of bright, sprightly, fudge-colored eyes.

"Heya, kiddo!" The voice repeated, and the eyes glimmered with excitement. "What are you doing around here so early?"

Todd blinked as he replied, "I heard that Treasure Lake was really pretty when the morning sun reflects on it, so I came to see!"

The eyes shimmered even more. "Really!? That's why I'm here too!"

Todd climbed up the skull deftly, and the figure could be seen more clearly now. The face was round, but in a childish way. The body was well-built, but quite petite, with a lack of brawn and masculinity. This person was much taller than Todd, but still would stand slightly shorter than Dina. A messy mop of hair could be made out, styled in fluffy spikes behind them. Something was reflecting light on top of the other's head. Todd plopped down next to them.

"Here!" The other shifted closer to Todd and offered, "You can use my shoulder as a head rest!"

"Oh, thank you very much!" Todd giggled as he rested his head against the other's shoulder.

The sun started to rise above the trees surrounding the lake. The lake's blue color returned as the light made it twinkle. The glittering water was a parallel to gold and crystals. The mildew made the grass seem like a field of emeralds and peridots. A gentle wind silently and placidly brushed the plants like animals. Todd's interest became completely swallowed by the visual marvel, it took the snapping of fingers from the other to bring him back to reality. As Todd looked over, he gasped at what he sighted.

The other had a handsome face, yet it had a dorky innocence. His untidy, shining, royal-blue hair was pulled back with red and black goggles, and under them were his slender eyebrows. A faint blush was painted on his cheeks, and his friendly smile gave him a cheerful spirit. Even though he seemed thin, he had a more ample build than Todd. His fudge-colored eyes were sweet like chocolates, with an alluring shimmer in the light. Everything about him was youthful, energetic, and alive. His orange jumpsuit and shoes looked exactly like Dina's, and his black half-finger gloves strapped against his arms in the same style, as well.

"N-No way! You couldn't be-"

"Dino," the other cut Todd off with a shy smile, "Dino Karuido. That happens to be my name!"

Todd almost leaped up, because of the response. His expression quickly shifted from a bolted shock to a passionate excitement. "I-I can't b-b-believe it! I'm talking to one of the most charming and stylish idols around! You're an awesome fossil battler, and I've been told you have the heroic potential to even surpass your dad, Hunter! And, he saved the world from Guhnash! So, you must be the most superb fossil battler ever! And you're really adorable-"

He stopped for a moment, when he saw Dino's face completely undertake the color of rubies. Todd turned scarlet a little himself, a bit embarrassed at his over-excessive flattering. "I-I'm so sorry, Dino..! I didn't mean to sweet-talk you that much.. I must sound like such a nerd..!"

"N-No! It's alright, no worries, okay?" Dino heartened in his signature, playful and pleasant way. "So, what's your name?"

"My name's.. T-Todd!" Todd gazed right into Dino's eyes enthusiastically as he stated his identity, which made Dino awkwardly shift his gaze to the skull below him. Todd tilted his head with worry. "A-Are you okay? Did I say something that meant anything wrong, or-"

Dino blushed again, as he covered Todd's mouth, without even glancing up. "N-No! It's nothing that you did!"

Todd nodded, befuddled by the other's odd social behaviors. Dino quickly remembered to remove his hand from against the other's lips, and immediately murmured, "I-I'm sorry again.."

"It's no problem! Sometimes, my big bro, Dina, does things like that when he's around people, so it doesn't bother me!

"Your big bro, Dina..? Is he here at the islands with you? I'd really like to meet him, if that's alright with you two..!"

The cinnamon haired boy opened his mouth to speak, before being interrupted by someone from down below. The two boys looked to the lake, and Dina's scrawny figure was an easy sight, his blonde hair making him stick out against the sea of sapphire colors. He was leaning against the skull fearfully, his hands shaking and laying against the fossilized cast. His teenage voice could be heard quavering, "Todd! Get down from there! If you slip and fall.. You aren't gonna be very happy, and neither am I!"

He opened his arms into a catching position, and Todd leaped from the height, into his brother's comforting and familiar grasp. Dino slid down the side, planning to land perfectly and gracefully onto his two feet. His slide; however, resulted in him soaring to the water below, flat on his face. Todd giggled, and Dina blinked, shocked by the sudden visitor from what appeared to be the sky. Dino rose, blushing and drenched, with a shiver. Rivulets of water drops streamed down his face.

Dina glanced at the klutz with a blue mane, as he teased, "You know, I heard Dino Karuido was supposed to be super cool and everything, but I don't think he's awesome enough to.. you know.. fly."

Dino shook the water off of him, and his hair fluffed out to its normal style. He turned himself to face the brother duo, before displaying his potential of oblivion. "Well, of course I'm not able to fly! People don't fly!"

Dina and Todd shared looks of distaste, before laying their palms against their foreheads, and spoke in perfect sync. "He's hopeless!"

"Anyway," Dina began, as he glanced at Todd, then at Dino, "I think Todd and I should get going, we both need some more sleep."

Todd yawned, "Yeah.. That sounds goood..!"

Dino watched the two stroll up the path, as he cheerfully smiled and murmured to himself, "I wonder.. How can I be a good friend to them..?"

As he pondered, he jumped up and gasped. "Uh oh! I forgot to go back to my room and see my roommate!"

He dashed up the path, back to Ribular Town, and into the Ribular Fighter Station. Dino panted as he quietly shut his door, and turned around to see his shared suite. A pale nose bumped into his, and golden-amber eyes connected with his sweet, chocolate irises. The one before him recoiled, his white locks flowed like a river of moonlight.

A dorky smile spread across Dino's face, and his cheeks were painted in a rosy pink. "H-Hiya! Wh-Wh-Who are you..?"

Rupert glared at him hostilely, before coldly answering, "How could you not know who I am? But, I must ask, who might you be?"

"My name's Dino Karuido..!" Dino cheered softly in reply, "I'm surprised..! Most people recognize me on sight! You're the first person to not chase after me.."

"Dino.. You mean the other dream boy? You? You must be kidding." Rupert cracked sarcastically.

"Other..?" The chestnut-eyed lad blinked and contemplated for a moment, before he grinned and asked enthusiastically, "Are you Rupert?"

Rupert shot his nose into the air and snorted, "Of course I am, you foolish airhead!"

"Oh!" Dino started giggling in his normal fashion, before tilting his head and inquiring, "Where were you going anyway, Rupie?"

"Don't you dare call me that!" Rupert was blushing furiously, and his face became the same red of his coat, before he started growling, "Nowhere. Now both of us should go to bed, don't you think?"

Dino nodded cheerfully before him and Rupert changed into their comfortable pajamas. They slumped into their beds with exhaustion, but only Dino had retired to his doze. Rupert stayed alert, and as he gazed at Dino, he cracked a small smile.

Afternoon came with a bright sun blazing in the blue heavens. The heat on the island was quite the burden for those who roamed the outdoors that day. Todd exited their bedroom, and entered into their suite's kitchen. Dina was humming a little, upbeat, marching tune he called "Pistachio March", wearing a fluffy pink apron decorated in a cute, flower pattern. Under it, he wore a tan, safari outfit. He tossed and flipped some pancakes exquisitely, like it was a daily routine of his. As Todd flopped, tired, onto his chair and yawned, Dina slid him a plate of pancakes, and gave him a morning salutation.

"Good morning, Sleepysaurus draculae! Ready for the first rounds of the Cup today?"

Todd blinked as he perked up, "Today's the first rounds!?"

"Looks like that woke you up!" Dina laughed joyfully, "Anyway, yeah! Today, we get our first matches in ten minutes, so go get fixed up, okay?"

Todd bounced in his chair with vigor as he ate his breakfast quickly, and dashed back into the bedroom to fix himself up. When he slammed the door open in an immature fashion, he was dressed in a matching safari outfit. Dina had already finished cleaning everything up, so he grabbed Todd's hand, and they rushed out of their suite, all the way to the Arena Waiting Room doors. They entered with ambition, and went to their respective colosseums, the ones where their battles would be.

Dina shuffled his feet into the arena sand, then climbed onto a lapis-blue platform. His opponent was on the opposite end of the stadium, on a fiery red platform. They sent out a blue pterosaur with a large, webbed crest. Its blood-red eyes gleamed as it screeched at Dina, and swooped down to intimidate him before perching onto a nearby rock.

"A Thalasso, huh?" He murmured as he pulled out his Pager, and the battle information popped up. He pegged Aeros's medal at the blue beast, and Aeros was released. He rammed, feet-first, into the wall, then launched right into Thalasso. It was thrown back by the aqua-colored jet, but rapidly flapped its wings to avoid smashing into the stands.

The two, small, plushie-looking and sized dinosaur announcers, sitting among the flocking audience, went wild with that attack. The red tyrannosaurus smacked their desk with his claws. "Would you look at that, folks! What a creative entrance, wouldn't you say, Trip Cera?"

The yellow Triceratops beside him nodded and fixed his swirly glasses, which changed adjustment with the shifting. "Sure is, Ty Ranno! But, I would've entered in a more.. sophisticated kind of way.. With cherry blossom petals, and a schoolgirl outfit, and toast, and-"

"T-Trip.." Ty Ranno silenced his partner.

Thalasso swooped up, then down, and grasped Aeros's throat with its owl-like talons, pecking at his eyes. Aeros snapped Thalasso into his jaw, then pounded it into the ground with tons of force. Thalasso struggled to its perched position, before slashing him with one wing continously. He leaped back, and released a blast of wind upon the impaired, azure creature. The rest of Thalasso's stamina was drained by that attack, so it collapsed to the ground.

"And would you look at that one, Fossil Fans! This Dina competitor just wiped the floor clean and got himself a shiny, new win to frame! That Aeros is pretty pro, huh, Ty? I mean, he just went: boom, boom! And then Thalasso was like: ow! ow!-"

"I think that's enough, Trip." Ty Ranno lightly punched his partner.

The crowd burst into a loud chant, forcing the shy Dina to turn more red then Thalasso's eyes. He scrambled to the doors, panting as he entered the Arena Waiting Room. Todd happily skipped out of his arena, to his brother.

Stella strolled up to the children, grabbing their attention. She held out two fossils in her hands. "Great job you two! Here's your special prizes for winning! These twin fossil rocks hold sibling edaphosauruses!"

"Th-thank you..!" Dina stuttered. He was still anxious, and his heart was still pounding, since lots of attention is not his cup of tea.

"Also," Stella advertised shamelessly as she walked away, "Be sure to check out the Jungle Labyrinth and Fossil Cannon, since both just opened!"

A blazing sun was still flaring above later that day, however, the shade of the gargantuan palm trees blocked out the rays. The echoing calls of the native, wild Pteranodons in the canopy could be heard from the jungle's floor. Scents of exotic, tropical flowers was potent. The air inside was humid, and condensed, making one sweat on arrival. The tight air, mass of leaves, and flower smells would make anyone feel like they were stuffed in a shoebox full of fresh roses. Dina fixed his safari hat, and toyed with a strange, bone-shaped relic they had found while digging for fossils. Todd trembled, clinging to his brother like a toddler. He squeaked at every animal call he had heard.

"Wh-What if the wild vivosaurs here are gonna come.. e-eat us!?"

Dina pat Todd's head, reassuring him calmly, "Oh, please! Vivosaurs wouldn't wanna eat some puny, wimpy humans-"

He paused when he noticed Todd's face. His expression was inundated with fear, eyes wide open, and pointing to something behind Dina. He rotated to see what was making Todd so afraid, and almost bumped into a large smilodon's nose. The giant cat licked its stained fangs with a hungry purr.

"Nice kitty!" Dina smiled uncertainly, guarding Todd as he did so.

The huge, saber-toothed tiger snarled ravenously, triggering Dina and Todd to scramble away, screaming. It pounced after them, before Todd climbed up a large tree, and Dina swung up through its branches. The hungry monster below slashed at the tree, growling.

"I-Is he gonna come up..!? Are we s-safe!?" Todd cried, grasping to Dina's side, arms and legs wrapped around him tightly, like a boa constrictor.

Todd's weight was too much for Dina's natural lack of balance, and they plummeted off of the branch they were standing on, smacking into branches on their way down, until they splashed into a small pond. "Oof!"

As they waded to the shore, they heard a small bubbling noise behind them. As they turned to the source, a pack of long Tanstro opened their mouths. Releasing more squeals, Dina and Todd swam to shore, arms flapping wildly. The Tanstro pack receded in calming ripples, and the two boys shook where they stood.

Dina choked out water as he stated, "I just had.. a weird sense of deja-vu."

"Well," Todd grinned, "I don't think it could get any worse now, right?"

At that moment, two middle-aged men, dressed in mining outfits, ran past, yelling about "A monster worse than the giant, wild vivosaurs". Todd's knees went weak, and he kneeled, taken by fearful despair.

"It just.. got worse.."

"I've seen weirder things today," Dina shrugged, brushing it off like nothing, "Let's go see what this monster is about."

Just as Dina started on, Todd shaking in place, he tripped over a quite rotund rock. The rock let out a grumble, and shifted. As Dina lifted himself to his feet, he noticed he had tripped over someone's stomach. He peered over the old man's head, his face reflecting in the shiny glasses.

The old man's British voice was raspy as he moaned, "Ooh.. It seems as if I have ended up in a real pickle.."

"Hey Mister!" Dina greeted, "You alright? Need our help, sir?"

"Ah, yes quite, Old Bean.. It seems as if I have left my lunch back at my house, and wouldn't you have it.. I'm starved! Now, only the delectable delight of a melon spud could revive this fallen, old man.."

Todd eyed a bright green sprout, shadowed by a towering tree. He pulled it out like a weed, and juggled the shiny, watermelon-patterned, potato-shaped vegetable. He handed the crop to Dina, who fed it to the elder. The old man leaped up like he was youthful once again, after he swallowed the spud eagerly.

"Thank you, Old Beans! You saved this here man's life! I should thank you with a spot of tea at my museum someday, wot wot?" He chuckled.

Dina and Todd tilted their heads in puzzlement, before the other continued. "It seems like I have forgotten an introduction! My old age has been catching up to me recently.. I am Professor Nigel Scatterly, the Curator of the Cranial Island Museum! Now, what did I come here for?" He paused, his old gears grinding, "Oh, I remember, yes, wot wot! The Calio Slablet! However, it seems as if I have forgotten my shovel as well.. Sod it!"

Dina pulled out the relic, interrupting Professor Scatterly's monologue. His blue eyes widened as he grasped the relic like it was gold. "This is it! The Slablet! You found it, Old Bean!"

"So, Professor Scatterly, what's the importance of that relic?" Dina skimmed at the runes carved in it as he questioned, "Is it some Caliosteo Island mythos?"

"Indeed!" Scatterly began, "The Calio Slablets are bone-hewn carvings from the ancient Caliosteo Island Civilization! It seems to be a story about a King named ZongaZonga, and his sorcery powers that he used to make his subjects obey. He could even revive 'ancient beasts' from rock!"

Aeros muttered to Stego in his medal. 'Hey, Stego, that wizard sounds like a living, revival machine, huh?'

'Yeah!' Stego replied, 'A bit creepy, though.. I mean, to make life without machines and science. It's a pretty foreign thing to me.'

"Oh, dear!" Professor Scatterly sighed, "It seems as if this is Slablet number three! I only have number one in my possession! I guess I will wait until I discover and decipher number two then. But, this is still interesting knowledge to value! Why not I translate this slablet, and read it to you, Old Beans?"

After an assuring nod from Todd and Dina, Professor Scatterly read the runes:

"ZongaZonga would command his youngest subjects to battle using these revived beasts of the dead. The beasts would fight tooth and nail for their new masters, and would develop a special bond. The one with the strongest bonds, unbeknownst to ZongaZonga, would usually turn out to be the Champion of the Four Tournament League. The champion would then be crowned to be the new king, the new Majestic Vessel."

Todd blinked and gaped, "Wow! So, they'd be the knew king? Super cool!"

"Isn't it? Well, it seems to be a good time to go home, wot wot! I hope to see you Old Beans at Cranial Island, so please, come visit whenever you are interested in some fascinating history!" Professor Scatterly waved back, as he strolled off in a jolly fashion.

"Bye bye!" Todd loudly cheered as he waved and bounced.

Dina quickly covered Todd's mouth with his hand, sweat running down his forehead, as he muttered, "Sshhh! Don't be so noisy, you might attract the giant vivosaurs..! Now come on, follow me! We're gonna go find that big, ol' monster!"

"Wait, what!?" As Todd squeaked, chills were sent down his spine. "Uh.. Uh.. Ooogh! My tummy hurts.. Ooooh! Ooooohh! I shouldn't have eaten that green.. t-tuna sandwich yesterday..! The pains.. are killing me..!"

"Oooh, geez! You should've taken up an acting career." Dina sarcastically joked as he seized Todd's sleeves, and started to drag him deeper into the forest.

They continued, and the area got darker, and darker. Even the tree's leaves had become a deep green. Not a wild vivosaur was in sight, the jungle was dead here. The two boys immediately stopped their cruising when a bush near them rustled frantically. Todd slid behind Dina, and cowered. Dina slowly tip-toed over to the bush. As he examined it, something smacked into his face.

And he was gazing right into clover-colored eyes, and the face of a beast.

Dina withdrew swiftly, but grasped Todd's collar, to make sure he didn't flee. Todd was stuck, hopelessly running in place and scared out of his wits. The beast in front leaned out; extended it's russet, human-esque arm; clutched Dina's face with its red, glove-covered hands; and covered his mouth.

He tried to say something, but the creature pulled him closer. A soft, smooth, higher-pitched voice whispered in his ear, through a gap between the monster-like snout and jaw. "Shush! You might scare the monster away, if you scream!"

"Hnn!?" Dina broke free of the other's grasp, as he declared, "Todd, it's just a female Homo sapiens!"

The figure stepped out of the bush. Bright, yellow-highlighted, pink ponytails extended from the fuchsia thatch, like burning flames. A blood-red, unbuttoned, Hawaiian shirt laid upon a red, polka-dotted, bikini top; and rolled all the way down to the short, leaf-like skirt. Gold bands were strapped onto her arms, and band-like, gold pants under her skirt. This person also wore a necklace, and shining, goldenrod bracelets. She adjusted the devious, monstrous mask that shaded her face.

Her height made her slightly taller than Dina, so she lifted herself onto her toes and growled, "Yeah, of course I'm a girl, science nerd!"

"Oh!" Todd sighed with satisfactory relief, "Your mask made us think you were a monster!"

The young teenager folded her arms. "A monster? What are you two, dumb?"

Dina snorted furiously, glaring at the girl, and Todd bounced with a raging passion, and screamed, "Why, Big Bro oughta knock you senseless! We aren't dumb!"

"But, you must be airheads if you don't know me!" the girl smugly giggled, hinting at her superior attitude, "Pauleen, the Teenage Girl Idol!"

"Huh?" Dina and Todd glanced at each other and tilted their heads childishly.

Pauleen's palm smacked against her forehead with a sigh. "Oh well. Now you know, I guess."

She continued with brimming excitement, "Anyway, let's go slay us a monster, you wimp!"

Dina glared at her again, before turning around to get Todd. However, he had already snagged the chance to escape. Dina shook his head, before joining Pauleen's expedition. As they pushed through bushes and branches, the Jungle Labyrinth's floor became darker, and darker. Dina sniffed the air, and observed his surroundings. "We must be approaching the heart. The smell of wild vivosaurs is gone, and there are more trees shading us-"

"Come on, Book Nerd." Pauleen snorted, "Anyone could notice that without stupid textbook facts, especially if you live in a forest or jungle."

He snarled in reply, "Forest Girl."

On their way in, a man dressed in a fifties' style, gold outfit approached them at a quick pace. His black pomp was being frisked all over the place. "Hey, you two kiddies better watch out, uh-huh! There's a nasty monster in there that's ready to eat any man!"

As he passed them, running to the entrance, Dina and Pauleen stared at each other. An ear-piercing roar traveled throughout the area, echoing for awhile. Dina held his hands over his ears in pain, and Pauleen nodded, before assuring, "That's the monster, alright! No way a vivosaur could give a big, ol' growl like that one!"

She grasped Dina's hand and dragged him in the direction of the racket's source. As Pauleen was dashing and Dina being pulled, something gargantuan bedimmed them, catching their attention. A tiger-like beast that stood at twenty feet surmounted over the small duo. It's endoskeleton was made of wiring and machinery, and the exoskeleton was made on crayon-colored cardboard. The wheels attached to it began to rapidly spin, causing it to shift closer. Pauleen screamed, hauling Dina into a nearby bush, accidentally smacking him into the tree beside it. Pauleen pulled him in immediately.

"That monster is pretty darn huge!-"

"Pauleen.." Dina groaned, rubbing his bruised cheek, "That thing is a robot.. It has wheels and is made of cardboard boxes and metal."

She peered at the "monster", which was backing up, the wheels squeaking as it did so. "Wait.. Oh, yeah. You're right. That's a lame, five-year-old tier robot."

"Looks like we'll have to beat that baby down. Vivosaurs up." Dina stated, before holding up his Aeros's medal in one hand, and Paleopager in the other.

Pauleen held up her Amargo medal and Paleopager, and the two released their Vivosaurs. She turned to Dina, and poked him. "Let's find the 'bot's weak point. I say we go for the sides first!"

"Sounds good to me! Alright, Aeros! Time to shut down this scheme!" Dina commanded.

Aeros smashed his whole body into the monster's left side. The red sauropod with spikes lining the back of its neck bucked the right side of the monster with its huge legs. An avacado-colored, tiny, bug-like vivosaur riding a green and tan pterosaur glided out of the mouth.

"An Anomalo and a Nycto!" Dina muttered to Pauleen, "They must have been attacking people who came near!"

The neck started to creak, and soon, the head landed into the shrubbery below. The body of the monster exploded into pieces, and two men crawled out of the head. They were wearing yellow mining helmets, and matching vests.

"Yo, Jerry! You alright?" One of the men called to the other.

Jerry yelled back, "Yeah, I'm good, Lee! But, it looks we have some stupid kids to catch!"

Dina and Pauleen dived back into the bushes, and Aeros stomped on the pink-eyed Anomalo, knocking the weak vivosaur out quick. Nycto circled around Amargo's head, but it extended its neck and grabbed onto the small pterosaur's wing. It swung Nycto into the soil, digging it in. Aeros shot a sharp gust of wind at Nycto, defeating it instantly.

Dina smiled at Pauleen, and she was nodding happily. Dina cheered, "Yeah! We pulverized their vivosaurs quic-"

He was cut off when Jerry and Lee pulled the two children up by the collars.

"Dang it!" Pauleen snarled, "The vivosaurs were a distraction!"

Lee smirked at Jerry. "What should we do to 'em?"

"Let's think. How could we punish these two, naughty, li'l kids?"

As the men thought of threats, Aeros quietly stood behind them, and released a huge wind blast. This set Dina and Pauleen free, but Dina slammed into a tree, and Pauleen steered into him. Stella skidded in front of Dina and Pauleen, and guarded them. Four security members trapped and grabbed Jerry and Lee. Stella shouted, "Well, well! Not only did you try to snag all of the rare fossil rocks back here, but you also tried to harm some minors! I say, we disqualify them and kick them out, agreed?"

The security guards all nodded, and they dragged the struggling, rebelling Jerry and Lee back to Ribular Town. Stella shifted her gaze to the young ones behind her. She approached them, and examined them, to make sure that they were still intact. Thankfully, the two were in a fit condition, but they were covered in bruises and bumps.

Everything in his sight was a blurred tan, brown, green, and blue as Dina lifted his eyelids, before it sharpened back to normal. A familiar pair of big, sky-blue eyes gazed into his fudge irises, before the eyes withdrew. Todd poked his big brother's nose playfully, and giggled, "Good morning, sleepyhead!"

"Good morning..?" Dina observed his surroundings. He was in a hospital-like room, in a very comfortable bed. Pauleen was in a deep, untouchable slumber in the neighboring bed beside him. Todd kicked his feet up and down, lying on his tucked-in brother. Dina's eyes widened as he struggled and lifted himself up into a sitting-up position. "Wh-What happened..? What happened to those goons?"

"You don't have to stress yourself, Dina-na!" Todd cheered as he pat Dina's head. "The big baddies were arrested and disqualified, even kicked off of the island!"

Dina relaxed his stiff posture, and laid his head against the comfortable pillow. "When's my Cup match? Today, or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow!"

"Alright. I'll prepare today, wanna come with me, Todd?" Dina leaped out of his bed with energy as he offered, and strolled to the door.

Todd declined his offer awkwardly, "I already prepared! So, I'll just go have some lunch.."

"That's okay," Dina sighed, "I'll handle it myself."

He calmly traveled to Treasure Lake, and tossed Aeros's medal up and down for entertainment. Midway down the hill to the sparkling lake, someone smashed into him, and they rolled down the hill in a blurred ball of orange and blue. When they stopped rolling, Dina felt a soft, yet also boney structure under him, and he rolled off in discomfort into the soft grass. He shifted his gaze up, and focused on Dino, who was lying down, dizzy, in front of him. Dina poked him and whispered, "H-Hey, Dino!"

Dino rose into a sitting position, rubbing his head and grinning, "Hi, Dina! I wanted to hang out with you, and I was so lucky to see you at the Ribular Town plaza! I followed you all the way, and then I tripped on a rock, into you! The whole time, I was too scared to grab your attention, so I just kinda waited until you would notice me!"

"Oh! You know, don't be shy. I'm pretty chill if you call me or poke me to get my attention, Dino!" Dina sympathetically reassured his friend.

Dino leaned over and murmured into Dina's ear, "You can just call me Ryuuya! But don't tell anyone my real name, okay? It's a super, duper secret-secret between us!"

Dina nodded. "Okay then, Yuya! What do you want to do?"

"Wanna dig with me?"

"Sounds good!"

The two boys began to dig around the lake, before Dina pushed Dino into the water playfully. "Rooaarrr!"

Dino giggled and tackled Dina, dragging him into the water. "Rooaar! I see a Dinasaurus Rex, time for a Fossil Battle! Rooar!"

The two boys scuffled in the water, pretending to be vivosaurs in a fossil battle. It wasn't until after they stopped, laughing and dank, that they noticed Rupert was kneeling near them, soaking wet. He stared with his normal blank expression, and brushed his hair out of his line of sight. Rupert snorted, "I see you two are having fun, acting like little toddlers."

Dina grunted furiously, and Dino giggled, "Hiya, Rupert! Didn't you say you wanted me to leave you alone? Do you wanna join us? We're having a-"

"Hey, hey! I d-didn't come over because I wanted to join your infantile fantasies! I was just curious as to why you two were acting like morons in a public space!" Rupert snootily spurned, and began to walk away from the pair.

"Oh, I see!" Dino cheerfully smiled and gazed at Rupert. "Please, don't be shy! If you want to join us, just say so!"

Rupert halted for a moment, before scrambling away. Dino tilted his head and turned to Dina, who rolled his eyes. "He's such a rude person.."

"I don't think he means to be!" Dino countered, "But, I h-have to go! I'll see you!"

Dino chased after Rupert, leaving Dina in the water, alone. He rose to his feet, and leisurely sauntered back to the Fossil Station to clean his fossils.

Clouds blocked the sun protectively, like a dark, gloomy blanket over a sparking flame. Even in the late morning, everything was murky, like a premonition. Dina leaned casually against the wall, in front of the arena doors. The air in the room smelled of strong cleaning chemicals, and the chemicals made his sensitive eyes water a bit. With a bored yawn, he juggled three, polished, green dino medals, chucking each up softly and carelessly. The shining of a long, gold vest snagged his attention, and the man in the fifties' style arrived, scowling.

"You were one of those little kiddos who messed with the party, uh-huh! I'll pulverize you to a pulp, uh-huh!"

"Wh-What!?" Dina withdrew, his voice quavering nervously.

The man towered over Dina, continuing to scare him, "Yeah. Jerry and Lee told me all about you, uh-huh."

Dina backed up, closer to the doors, as the man extended his hand. Dina dashed to the other wall to escape the attempted grasp, and slid between the man's legs, and across the slippery, wet floor to make it to the doors. The doors open, and through the loudspeakers, Ty Ranno garbled, "The Dina Vs. Rockin' Billy battle will begin! Can both combatants please enter the stadium?"

Dina scrambled all the way to the blue platform, thinking to himself, "If I'm over here, he can't come over here to get me.."

Rockin' Billy stood on the red platform, and released a grey and yellow sauropod, a Raja, and a white and blue ammonite. Dina pegged the three vivosaurs he had at the other three. Aeros, a Nycto, and a green, lizard-like vivosaur with a grey sail all roared enthusiastically.

"So, a Nigo, a Raja, and a Parapu, in that order, huh? They all look pretty tough.. I'll need to use Aeros, Nycto, and Edapho altogether to team up against each of them.. one by one.." Dina muttered to himself softly.

Aeros and Edapho rushed and lunged into Raja, and Nycto picked it up. It dive-bombed like a jet plane into a colosseum wall, and managed to crawl back to his partners after the recoil damage. Raja was defeated on impact. Nigo slept soundly, even when Nycto dealt a heavy hit by pecking at its eyes. Aeros and Edapho took the opposite sides, by gnawing at Nigo's fat. Nigo awoke, and used its large paw to pound Nycto into the ground, making the stadium erupt into violent shockwaves. Aeros was unaffected, but Nycto and Edapho were defeated, and Dina was curled up in a ball on his platform, the quakes being too much to take. Aeros used his tail to finish Nigo off, but he was smashed into the wall after Parapu rammed into him with his hard shell. Aeros was severely injured, unable to move. Parapu held out its two front tentacles, then they hardened together with ink, acting as a blade.

"Wow.. That's pretty intense, audience.." Ty Ranno's tone became melancholy.

Trip Cera bowed his head, sighing, "Rockin' Billy is going for the kill.."

"What!?" Dina spurt out, shooting his glance to Aeros, who still was not moving.

Parapu jetted ahead, bloodthirsty, but Aeros leaped out of the way. Parapu stopped before it made contact, but Aeros swung his tail into Parapu, making it fly into the wall, and crack its shell. Aeros roared victoriously, but his roar was quavering and painful.

Stella and her staff inundated the field, snatching Rockin' Billy. Dina dodged the incoming staff members, and pet Aeros. "Are you alright, buddy?"

"Fine."

"Mister Jerry and Mister Lee ratted you out. And, the security cameras displayed your attempt to hurt the minor! What a shame. You seem like a good fighter too," Stella scolded.

Rockin' Billy whistled to get Dina's attention, and he hesitantly turned his head to the criminal's feet. Billy smirked. "Why, luck saved your vivosaur, kiddo, uh-huh. You should wait to mature first, you don't seem to have the skill to keep your 'saurs alive, uh-huh!"

Dina leaned against the helicopter window, silently. Todd yawned, and gazed out into the inferno-painted canvas outside their window. He hugged Dina's arm with a cheerful smile, but Dina was unmoved. Todd hoarsely requested, "Please, Dina-na.. Be happy, okay? We're going to Cranial Island finally! We both made it to the next rounds, so don't listen to what that big baddie said to you! You're really skilled!"

"Thanks, Todd.." Dina cracked a small grin, but it transformed back into a frown once more. "But, something is bothering me way more than that.."

"What is it?" Todd gripped to his arm tightly, his curiosity was peaked.

"Ty Ranno, Trip Cera, and the rest of the people at the arena.. They were all passive about Aeros being in death's path. No one spoke up about the planned murder.." Dina stated, "Rupert was okay with attempting to kill my vivosaurs as well.."

Todd gasped, "That's horrible! Why wouldn't anyone say anything about that!?"

A recognizable, sweet voice apologized from the seat behind them, "I'm so sorry.. But, I think the rules don't p-prohibit killing vivosaurs.."

Dino poked his head above the seats, and looked into Dina's eyes with guilt, even though it could never be his fault. Todd blinked, not expecting the sudden visitor, and Dina's fist clenched and shook from the pressure. "That's ridiculous.. That's horrid.. There's something wrong with that.."

"Oh, hiya Toddie..!" Dino shyly greeted his friend. "S-Say, why not I lighten the mood with.. some prizes for you two!"

He dropped a gargantuan diamond into each person's hand, and cheered, "I found them while I was digging, so I thought I should give them to you!"

Todd's eyes sparkled more than the diamond did, and Dina kept turning it around, eagle-eyeing and rubbing it with satisfaction, occasionally knocking on it, making it ring like a bell. As he started to settle down from his outbreak before, he whispered, "I should probably sell it.. But, I want to keep it.. It has such a beautiful shimmer, jingle, and an amazing texture.."

"You like it for those reasons too?" Dino leaned over more, laying his arms comfortably against Dina's seat.

"You two are so funny!" Todd giggled, "But, I guess that makes you so enjoyable and unique!"

The helicopter rumbled once again, signaling the stationing on Cranial Island. The three kids calmly hopped off, and the helicopter hovered away as it always did. Dina gestured that he would check into their suite, and Dino and Todd headed to the only open path, labeled "Mt. Krakanak".

A titanic skyscraper was plunging, motionless, into the sky. Many tall buildings lined the parallel sides of the red roads, one of which was a giant museum, the Caliosteo Museum. The air smelt of restaurants and newly-cleaned shops, and microscopic sand grains would blow into your eyes when the wind picked up. All of the buildings had neon-colored signs that flashed with pep. It was like a desert metropolis. Even with this visual marvel on hand, Dina made a beeline for the largest building, with the words "Wildwest Tower" engraved on the front.

Dino and Todd were joyously chatting, and digging for fossils on the red path. The rock path was a coral color, and lead all the way to an active volcano, which was spewing out ashes like a factory. Lava flowed down the volcano, like it's signature spring. The air smelled of smoke, and wooden bridges. Dino stretched his arms out as he stepped on one of the creaky bridges, until he smacked right into another person, who smelled of a lovely lavender.

He did not know why he used his arms to strap his knees to his chest, or why he was even in the room. But, Dina could not move. A force.. a force of nature.. a force of his nature glued him to the darkest corner of Todd and his Cranial suite. He felt stress bubbling inside, making his stomach brew, and his eyelids grow heavy. But, what was giving him that stress? Was it the blow to his confidence; or how vivosaurs' lives are played with and lost like simple, chess pieces? He couldn not tell, the answer was slipping away swiftly, like a firefly escaping one's hand. His consciousness was slipping away the same way too. Dina was losing himself, breaking down internally over these two, small issues. The fireflies continued to hover, higher and higher, until they were gone. He had shut down, needed to reboot. The only thing he remembered was the environment he was in. But, everything and everyone had slipped away at that hour.. A long, long hour.


	2. Dominance: Cranial Island

Dino rubbed his sore nose, where he collided with the other person. Todd gasped, piquing Dino's curiosity as to who the other was. Everything was spinning and blurring for a moment, but when his eyesight came into focus, he spotted Rupert in front of him, sitting on the bridge and caressing his injured nose. Dino squeaked, "Oh.. Oh dear! I'm so, so sorry, Rupie!"

Rupert seemed to warm up to the nickname, as he was not bothered by it when Dino used it. Rupert's eyes were also wider than usual and he was trembling with a fear of a hidden force. His voice was abnormally soft and sweet as he spoke, "A-Ah.. Good evening, Dino.. Funny to run into you..!"

He let out a shy giggle, which knocked Todd off-guard. He spurted out, "What's with the c-c-cute act!? This isn't like you at all!"

"I'm.. feeling fine! There's no differences here..!" the petite, rich boy murmured slowly pulled himself up with one of the bridge's supporting ropes, and rubbed his hands together to calm the stings that the rope's surface caused.

Dino rolled onto his feet and rose, holding his tan arms out for balance. Todd had already edged past the duo, and was observing a purple robot, hovering silently behind the child with white locks. It had the appearance of an emoticon, with two, small, drilled-in eyes, and a triangular, mouth-like gap, where the voice box would play through. A red cone revolved on its head, acting as a sonar, and it clenched its giant, blue fists. Todd innocently knocked on the lavender metal.

"Ah, yes.. This model was named D166-R.. It is an automated excavation robot, it can find fossils, and fossil battle." Rupert's dynamics lowered even more, "It was recently produced by FossilDig Inc., and my father assigned me to bring it out on a field test.."

"Are you alright, Rupie? You sound fearful!" Dino inquired nervously as he stepped to Rupert's side.

Rupert gulped, "I-I've never felt better..! Anyways, as I was saying, it is very advanced, so it will probably sell limitlessly-"

Just then, the robot started to spew a nasty-smelling smoke. Todd leaped back, covered his nose, and yelled, "Gross! That gas smells worse than a forest fire!"

Rupert shot his glance back as he stuttered, "What n-now..!? It was working fine.. just a minute ago..!"

D166-R sounded a static-y rant, "Di66-R will b-b-be releas-s-s-sed! W-w-welcome sir! Go, madam! I am.. I am-m-m-m-m.. PLEASE INSERT TOKEN! YOUR CALL IS IMPORTANT TO US! I AM ERROR! 404 PAGE NOT FOUND! BAD COMMAND OR FILE NAME! ABORT RETRY FAIL!"

The purple robot punched Rupert hard in the face, knocking him back into one of the bridge's poles and out of consciousness. Rupert's eyes spun in a dizzy daze as D166-R reached into his pocket and snagged three dino medals. Dino attempted to steal them back, but D166-R used is open hand to grasp Rupert around the waist, and it swiftly hovered off, carrying its hostage with it. Todd blinked, frozen in shock, and Dino screamed, "Rupert! Rupert!"

"No use calling, Dino.. That 'bot hit him pretty badly.." Todd sighed, "We'd have to go chase it down! It might hurt some innocent people on the way, if it's bugged out!"

"Then I'll go stop him!" Dino announced with determination.

"Eh, eh!?" Todd blurted out quickly, "Ooogh.. My tummy hurts, though.. I think I might have drank some expired apple juice this morning.."

Dino pat Todd's head charmingly, with a smile. "Then you stay here, okay? Feel better, Toddie!"

The blue-maned hero rushed ahead, tracing the steps of the rogue robot. He began to sweat from the lava slowly oozing down the volcano's side, near the path. He spotted a blur of a bright, eggplant color contrasting against the ash clouds blanketing the sky, and Dino tiptoed closer, pulling out his dino medal out of one of his chest pockets. It had a fiery-red, lizard-like dinosaur on it, decorated in cream and purple splotches, and armed with a red sail. It resembled Edapho quite a bit. The robot sensed Dino's presence, and screeched, "Green alert! Fighter located-ed-ed! Battle system has been inininitaiated..!-"

"Don't let me down, Dimetro!" Dino encouraged eagerly.

Dino punted Dimetro with perfect timing, earned from tons of training and experience, and Dimetro launched at D166-R's arm, the arm that Rupert was tightly bonded in. He snapped his jaws against the metallic, cord-like limb, ripping the joint out of place. The arm released some shockwaves, and the hand's grip on Rupert loosened. Dino hopped over, and embraced Rupert, before skidding across the ground. The fragile D166-R shut down, and halted functioning immediately, yet it was still floating. Dino panted, and propped Rupert into a more comfortable position in his arms. Dimetro returned to his medal form, and flew back into the pocket it made home.

At that moment, Todd dashed up the rocky, coral pathway, and checked out the scene before him.

"You beat the robot, Dino?"

"Yeah!" Dino cheered, "Could you help me out by bringing the robot to me and Rupert's suite?"

Todd nodded as he pushed the robot, which was oddly hollow and as light as a feather, all the way to Cranial City, Dino tailing along, rocking Rupert calmingly, back and forth. As they opened the suite door, a scent of newly changed bedsheets blew into their faces. Dino lay Rupert into his bed, and tucked him in neatly. Cinnamon-haired Todd grabbed a pillow, and placed the robot onto it, on the floor and next to the bed.

An hour had passed, and one could still see the smoke still puffing out of the volcano through the window. Dino had sat by Rupert's side the whole time, and had not made one effort to move away. Rupert slowly rose, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Dino gently placed his hand on Rupert's knee, and stroked it awkwardly, even though he didn't realize it was awkward. He sweetly questioned, "Are you okay, Rupie? Does anything hurt still?"

"No.. I'm feeling better.." Rupert moaned as he leaned closer to Dino. However, he noticed D166-R busted up on the floor, and quickly bounced out of the bed and kneeled near it.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!"

Dino poked his head near to where Rupert was sitting, and Rupert's eyes began to water. He glared at Dino and shrieked at him, "You dumb ass! You completely damaged it! Oh, no.. My father's coming here to yell at me about not doing my work.. He'll really get me for this.. Oh, he'll really get me for this..! I have to run away and avoid him.. I'll never finish fixing the robot by then..!"

The blue-haired boy shrunk into the bed covers, eyes watering and wide. Distrust began to flow through him. Someone he thought he could trust was now gone with the wind. His lips straightened, and his eyelids and eyebrows lowered, erasing all of the childishness from him in a moment. He grasped Rupert's shoulder tight, his fingers digging into the blades, and he dragged Rupert over to the closet they shared. Rupert was stunned by this sudden change of behaviors, Dino pushed him into the closet, and pegged a pillow at him. As he commanded stiffly and hostilely, his voice had deepened, making him sound like a completely different person, "Don't make a sound. I'll fix the robot, and deal with Mr. Kaseki. But, you need to stay quiet."

"Ah.. Alright.." Rupert's voice quavered, intimidated by this stranger.

Dino slammed the closet door closed furiously, and lifted Rupert's wrench off the table. He silently repaired the robot's arm, and when he finished, he climbed onto his bed, and attempted to read a book. However, he was seething too much to concentrate, so he chucked it hard at the closet door. Rupert whimpered, and Dino stomped over to the closet, and he dropkicked the door with a mass of force. "What did I tell you about staying quiet, Rich Boy!?"

"Wah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Rupert cried. Dino snorted angrily, and trailed back off to his bed.

A little later, a knock was heard, coming from the door. Dino did not even look up from his paleopager, as he emotionlessly called, "Come in. The door isn't locked."

A towering man, clad in a purple, stepped into the room, and closed the door. He wore a giant, flashy vest and bell-bottoms. Golden sunglasses gleamed on his face, and his lips stayed sturdy and stiff. His brown locks were slicked back, showing his pale forehead. He perused the room, before beaming at Dino through his sophisticated glasses, and asking, "Excuse me, Karuido. Do you know where my son is?"

"No. I don't." Dino sharply countered.

Rupert shivered in the closet. He felt like two outsiders were speaking in the suite. He tightly gripped the pillow and hugged it, trying to settle himself down.

"Ah. I see. I'll call him tomorrow about it, and the field test with model D166-R," The man sighed and nodded, and as he turned around, he tried to shoot Dino off of a high horse that he was not even on. "Say, for such a beloved hero, you are quite.. Nasty, is that the right word?"

Dino was unmoved by the comment, and grunted, "Mm."

Rupert's father just slipped out of the room, seemingly disappointed at the lack of reaction. When Rupert confirmed that his dad had left, he opened the closet doors, and dashed over to Dino's bed excitedly. However, his excitement transformed into shame, as he looked upon a curled up ball. What once he thought was a happy puppy, was a depressed and sick dog who needed just as much love as it gave out. He climbed onto the bed, on his knees, and peacefully stroked Dino's arm, and murmured, "I'm so sorry.. Dino.. It was wrong of me to snap at you like that.."

"I-It's okay.. Rupie.." Dino sniffled, "I'm sorry for being mean to you, too.."

Rupert shushed him, "Ssshhh! You didn't do anything wrong.. I mean, you saved me from my father.. Thank you.."

Dino's bright eyes, cute smile, and rosy cheeks returned as he gave Rupert a hug. Rupert felt comfortable, unlike before, and placidly accepted the other one in his space. They both yawned drowsily, lied down, and dozed off to bed, still hugging each other.

Dino awoke to Rupert sitting on the bed next to him, placing his phone into his pocket. Dino tilted his head and inquired, "What happened?"

Rupert's eyes started to water slowly, and he lay his face into his hands. His new friend slowly rubbed his back, and comforted him, "It's alright.. I'm here for you if you need to talk, okay? I'll always be here for you to talk to!"

Just before the duo leaned in, Rupert's pager buzzed and rumbled like an earthquake shook the earth. Rupert pulled out his little device, and an alert flashed on the screen.

"The MammothVision has just been discovered missing! Researchers think it may have been TV-Napped!"

Dina blinked slowly as he stretched. All of him was sore and in pain. Todd was asleep soundly in bed, as if nothing had happened, and all was well. Aeros worriedly questioned, "Are you feeling alright, Dina?"

Edpaho's squeaky voice came from his medal, "You just went out of commission for a few hours.. Are you sick?"

"N-No.." Dina whispered silently, "I'm physically healthy.. I think I just..-"

"Edapho," Aeros began, "Dina isn't good at dealing with.. certain situations. Sometimes he just can't handle them mentally, so his brain kind of goes into sleep mode, until he feels better."

"Ah, I see. Poor human child.."

Dina stood up slowly, as to not disturb his soreness even further. He silently slinked out of their room, and found his way to the outside. It was freezing cold, but the wind was still thrusting the sand into his eyes. Dina strolled around the city, window shopping and browsing the area, to recuperate and settle. There was not a single human outside, the only company being the vivosaurs, and the gloomy, yet placid silence. Dina looped back to the main square, and leaned against the Wildwest Tower. The silence was broken with the rushing sound of helicopter blades, and when he looked up, the giant television that soared above Ribular Town before was now hovering above the plaza in Cranial City. The lower clouds were thrown around by the blades, before the machine lost some height. Mobs of people swarmed into the area, dazed and confused with this sudden appearance. Todd had awoken with the crowd, but he was far from the comfort of his brother, lost. The melancholy clouds made a blanket over the poor sprout, creating a blockage between the familiar and loving sun rays. Todd screeched, "Dina, I can't find you! Where are you?"

Dina heard the desperate call, and tried to tackle his way into the mass. His attempts failed, resulting in scraped knees, so he hollered, "Todd!"

Todd could hear the crowd being jostled behind him, and he cowered, feeling anxiety creep through his young bones. Someone embraced him, and forcefully thrusted a way through the obstacles. It wasn't a rough force, it was just gentle, but it showed assertiveness. About a minute or so passed, and the light finally returned, as Todd wriggled free from his anonymous savior. He hugged his big brother with a sigh of relief, "That was so scary.."

"No need to be frightened anymore.. You should thank Rupert for bringing you here, though." Dina murmured as he pet his younger brother's hair calmly.

"Rupert!?"

Todd twisted himself around, and sure enough, the white-haired, red-clad lad stared down at him. It was not done with his usual superior intent, it was done with a protective intent, one that a guardian displays. His suddenly sweet tone echoed, "No need to thank me."

"I-Is Rupert feeling okay..? He's acting weird.." Todd whispered to Dina with a shiver.

"I'm feeling quite fine, you short scamp! Anyway, your gleeful, brotherly reunion may be of high value, but we have something most essential hovering above our heads." Rupert pointed up to the sky. "Looks like the snagged MammothVision came soaring back."

"The what?" Dina tilted his head as he mimicked what was spoken, then shifted his gaze upwards. "Oh, that big, ol' television-thingamadoodle."

The hovering machine flickered on, and shone on it, a towering, disgrace of a man. His skull head clicked and clacked against the metallic hold, which acted as his neck. He was draped in a set of mischievous-seeming, white and black dreads, buckled together with ruby shoulder-blades. Atop his bare, boney head sat a gleaming, white and gold crown, with rubies engraved inside. His dead, empty eyes shocked the audience like a thunderstorm, as his booming, monotone voice filled the plaza from the large, trumpet-like instruments built into the front.

"Look at all of you.. precious, foolish, child-like fighters, playing in such a disgusting, little cup! I, Don Boneyard, laugh at your silly deeds! Do you wonder why a top-of-the-black-market, mafia leader shows before you? I have your answer! I'm here to shut down your beloved Caliosteo Cup! Aw, don't cry, fighters! Oh, wait. Yes, cry. My violent henchmen just blocked the path to Mt. Krakanak, and they're set to make the volcano explode! You all better evacuate, or you'll be less fighter, and more fried in no time!"

The crowd was silent the whole speech, and continued to be silent, as the fear spread like a hoard of locusts to each and every individual, paralyzing them. Dina, however, whirled around, and began to stroll nonchalantly to the Mt. Krakanak pathway. The rest of the crowd beamed at him, and even though he started to sweat profusely and blush, he kept on his path. Rupert decided to join, and zoomed up to Dina, snickering at the cowardly crowd. Todd moaned about "having a stomachache from the discount-cart sushi", but the other boys pursued on.

Dina tried to claw his way up the boulder, but no use. "These goons are clever.. Looks like they crafted this boulder to be super smooth.. I can't climb up something like this, and I suppose you couldn't either."

"Well, with my body build, I don't suppose I can scale any entity without my stomach being squished against it uncomfortably.." Rupert poked his belly, before adding, "But, I do have a solution."

He snapped his fingers, and D166-R whirled over. With a beep, D166-R scanned the environment, and dug its finger-like claws into the boulder. He removed his hands when it cracked, and swiped at the rock.

"D166-R, what is the estimate time of completion?" Rupert asked.

"Twenty-four minutes, fourty five seconds."

Dina moaned, "Twenty-four minutes!? Aww, that's no good! We'll probably be toasted like marshmallows by then!"

Rupert nodded, before inquiring, "D166-R, how long do you suppose creating a ladder will take?"

"One minute, seventeen seconds." the robot calculated.

"Alright. Create us a ladder, then."

D166-R worked at an incredible pace, slicing and dicing at the front of the boulder. Small, ladder-like steps were shaped in an instant. Rupert gazed at his waist and back to the mass of mineral with a sigh, "This will be quite a bitter way up for me.."

Dina smiled with a snort, as he grabbed an abandoned rope that was laying nearby. He gestured for Rupert to come over, and he tightened the both of them together. The blonde initiated his escalating with daring. He could feel the cellulite packed up against him from his mounted partner. It weighed him down by a bit, but he found a suitable balance and carried on. At the other side, he unwrapped the rope, and Rupert slid off his back, onto the pathway. Rupert stood, and rubbed his behind with a small "youch".

Todd's squeaky voice could be heard on the other side. "Are you two over there?"

"Yes, we are." Rupert called back. "Why not you stop idling and aid us?"

"Um.. Ooogh.. my stomach.. I shouldn't have eaten that mayonnaise that was left out in the sun.." whined Todd. "Hey, robot? In the meantime, could you work on the boulder? My tummy is in too much trouble for me to climb up.."

Rupert sighed, and Dina shrugged. They kept on their route, scaled the way up the rocky volcano's summit. The smoke could be seen rising from the abyss, into the ashen sky. A gondola hung against the side of the concave, on the other side of the rim. Upon hearing deep voices, the little detectives dived behind a nearby rock. They peeked their heads to the source. A black-and-white-clad duo happily chatted it up. One of them was standing straight, and he fixed the white sunglasses on his face. The other leaned against the gondola operator.

Rupert bravely and pridefully stepped out and demanded, "Halt!"

"Look at that, it's the young, rich kid!" The one leaning against the operator chuckled, "What does the baby wanna do? Arrest us? Does he wanna play cops and robbers?

"I've come to stop your schemes, goons! My accomplice and I have turned your rock into smithereens. You BB Brigade members were no match for our brains."

Dina edged out from behind the spire, and the two BB Brigade members laughed hysterically. Rupert and Dina both growled softly and sent out Mapo and Aeros.

"D-Did he say he was gonna stop us!? That beautiful boulder might have been rough, but we're on a whole different level!"

"These brats just barely got out of diapers, in fact, I think they still use pacifiers! And they wanna challenge us? Poor, delusional kiddos!"

The criminals removed their glasses for a moment to wipe off the tears, before releasing their dino medals. The creatures that popped out were hideous beasts. They were lambeosaurus skeletons, stuck together with a dripping, licorice-colored goop. Their dead, lifeless gaps for eyes struck Rupert with terror.

Dina recoiled and gagged, "Eugh! Look at those ugly vivosaurs, if you could even call those vivosaurs!"

"Be still my heart!" squeaked Rupert, "A-Are those foul things.. the Boneysaurs!?"

The member that was standing upright waggled his finger, and lectured the challengers with a baby voice, "Of course these are the horrible, terrible Boneysaurs! B-Lambeos, in fact! They'll rip the skin right off of your precious hatchlings, and turn them into boneysaurs too!"

One of the B-Lambeos lunged at Aeros, and the other followed. They both overpowered Aeros, and began to push him towards the inside of Mt. Krakanak. Aeros sweated, and tried to push back, but he just kept getting shoved closer and closer to the rim. Mapo swooped in, and slammed his horns against one of the boneysaurs, knocking it into the other one. Aeros bit one, and whipped it with his tail until it was knocked out. The remaining B-Lambeo punched Aeros in the nose, then punched his head down to the ground, and completed the attack with one, big whack. The blue tyrannosaurid had to return to his medal from the impact. Mapo finished off the last B-Lambeo by tearing at it with his teeth, then smashing it into the rocky terrain with his head.

The BB Brigade henchmen's jaws dropped, and they stared at each other for a moment. The one leaning against the operator's teeth chattered as he snarled, "Don't get all proud over beating these lackeys! Don Boneyard is the best fighter around, and he'll crush your childish bones to pieces if you keep thrusting your nose into our business!"

And with that, the two troublemakers were off, scrambling down the summit. Dina grinned as he turned to Rupert, but Rupert glared at him hostilely. The blonde cowered slightly, and the rich boy started a tirade.

"Do you honestly think you were that useful in the battle? You were as helpful as a flea to a dog.. I think you may have hampered my chances at defeating them faster! I credit your bravery, but without the skills to back it up, your efforts are foolish! I'm concerned for your vivosaurs. I've seen your last tournament match, and if you seriously think Aeros will survive under those conditions you put him under, then you're an uneducated swine! Your sunny hair and sunny personality are not gonna save you in fossil battles. Grow up out of your childish, gleeful fantasies, because fossil battles are bloody and vicious. You should either quit this sport, or actually train tooth and nail, for your Aeros's sake. He'll end up resting in the ground, next to my mother, if you keep this up."

Rupert stomped down the winding slope furiously, leaving his wide-eyed partner behind. Todd was strolling up the rocky way, and he tapped Rupert's shoulder. He inquired, "Where's my big brother, Rupert?"

"Up there. But, I need you to do me a favor." Rupert snorted.

Todd blinked. "Wh-what is it?"

"I've seen your last tournament fight and his. And you obviously understand that a fossil battle is violent and merciless, with how you trained your Stego. Teach your brother that peace is not welcome in the stadium. His vivosaurs will get slaughtered if he doesn't try harder."

Rupert left without another word, and Todd blinked again. His older brother sulked down the path, and his cinnamon-haired kin stopped him. "Woah, woah, woah! What the heck was Rupert rambling on about?"

"I'm not interested in talking about it." Dina answered with a monotone.

"Dina.." Todd sniffled, "Please talk to me.. You've been so upset.. And if you keep bottling stuff up.. You're gonna-"

"I'm not interested in talking about it."

"D-Dina.." Todd's eyes watered as he wailed, "You promised you'd talk to me about this stuff! Please.."

The older brother did not look his younger brother in the eyes once. He reached into his pocket, and grabbed some gold pieces out. He handed them to Todd as he repeated, "I'm not interested in talking about it. Go treat yourself to lunch. I need time alone."

The green-clad one squealed, "You didn't eat dinner last night, and you didn't eat breakfast today, since you were so busy cleaning those jewel rocks for money.. Y-You can come with me! We can talk about happy things, and you can re-energize yourself! You can't think without food in your belly, you know-"

"I need time alone." Dina whipped around, and continued down the path, and all the way back to the Wildwest Tower.

Todd murmured to himself, "You don't have to face this alone.."


End file.
